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Thread ID: 117809	2011-05-06 00:26:00	Advice on upgrade	jonboy (11457)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
1199745	2011-05-06 00:26:00	Im going to upgrade my desktop and need some opinions on the components I have chosen to make sure they will play nice together. Motherboard: Asus M4A87TD EVO CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Graphics: Asus EAH 6850 V2 I also need some Ram.I know XP will only show 3GB, but I will upgrade to Win7 later, so will probably go for two 2GB sticks. Can anyone recommend a particular brand? Does any one know of any problems/issues with these components or any better alternatives? I will be re-installing XP pro and re-using my existing HDD's (assuming this will work?). My PSU is 600W so it should be sufficient. Thanks in advance	jonboy (11457)
1199746	2011-05-06 00:49:00	If you get Win7, you'll have to install x64, if you want more than 3 GB. Since all versions of 32 bit will only see / use 3.25 - 3.5 GB. Hopefully 0605 of the BIOS is on it. Since this is the BIOS you need for that CPU The parts should be fine. You could dual boot XP and Win7, if you want	Speedy Gonzales (78)
1199747	2011-05-06 01:00:00	Thanks Speedy, I will definitely get x64 Win7. Got to make the most of 64bit! I will check out the BIOS version.	jonboy (11457)
1199748	2011-05-06 01:06:00	Motherboard: Asus M4A87TD EVO CPU: AMD Phenom II X6 1055T Graphics: Asus EAH 6850 V2 Lovely. And a decent GPU too. RAM - doesn't matter hugely unless you want to overclock. Just check warranty on it, 1 yr is rubbish.	pctek (84)
1199749	2011-05-06 01:12:00	Lovely. And a decent GPU too. RAM - doesn't matter hugely unless you want to overclock. Just check warranty on it, 1 yr is rubbish. And for a decent price as well (Ascent). I'm not going to overclock as I wont need the extra power, so I just need some ram that will last and not cause any stability issues.	jonboy (11457)
1199750	2011-05-06 01:16:00	Those components should be fine together. I notice you have a reasonably capable graphics card included, are you planning on gaming much ? If so maybe check out www.tomshardware.com for a comparison of the gaming potential. Basically any sandybridge CPU including the cheapest i3 available will outperform that AMD processor in games although generally the 6 core AMD is considered better for everything else. I'm not an Intel fanboy, personally I buy whichever has the best offering currently, but I'd like to point out the AMD is near the top end of the current range and leaves not much room for upgrades whereas an 1155 intel board is new tech and can be upgraded to an i7 2600k currently the gaming king.	dugimodo (138)
1199751	2011-05-06 01:17:00	Hi OP, if you are seriously on budget, fine, but really at the end of the day, your build maybe $100-120 cheaper than an i5 build but that X6 will hold you back....AMD just cant compete....Even at stock 3.3Ghz, the i5 monsters that X6, clocked at 4ghz, the X6 isnt going to allow the 6850 to perform at its best! My advise, hold out a little more for the i5..... www.anandtech.com	SolMiester (139)
1199752	2011-05-06 01:18:00	Haha, dugi, you beat me to it!	SolMiester (139)
1199753	2011-05-06 01:25:00	I not a gamer, but cant rule that out as I have a 6yo boy who may want to play a few games over the next couple of years, however, I do a bit of 3D modelling (solidworks), but mostly, it will be used for movies (watching & encoding), music, internet. Im not really on a budget, but reluctant to spend too much. My current system does everything I need at the moment, but is having age related issues:-). Anything I upgrade to will be streaks ahead of what I already have.	jonboy (11457)
1199754	2011-05-06 01:56:00	3D modelling (solidworks), but mostly, it will be used for movies (watching & encoding), music, internet . The Phenom II will be a better choice than a comparably-price i-series CPU for these functions, assuming you're using relatively recent software that supports proper multithreading . If you were doing a lot of 3D gaming, though, I'd agree - look at i5 options .	inphinity (7274)
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